whentherewerebicycles:

“I contend that teaching is an affirmation of love; thus, it is a pedagogy of love, consistent with Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s assertion, ‘at the risk of seeming ridiculous, the revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.’ Teachers who deeply and genuinely care are revolutionaries who are compelled to transform society. This sense of agency driven by the innate emotion of love is the catalyst for improving the human condition and, I argue, what teaching is anchored on. Sadly, as Galeano (2001) astutely reminds us, our world is upside down where our values are inverted, where the notion of love is viewed as a sign of weakness and greed is exalted. I work to (re)center myself as I enter my classroom and diligently strive to establish a utopian classroom where possibility permeates; where risk-taking is encouraged and supported in a constructive, loving manner. I facilitate a classroom which transforms into a (third) space of refuge, a universe where humanization is a possibility and a utopian is reified.

The affirmation of love is the essence of teaching (Freire, 1998), and, as such, is the heart and soul of how I facilitate literacy. It must, however, be an unconditional love. I contend that unconditional love undergirds teaching, which acts as a linchpin to the relationships I make with my students, and thus allows me access to my students’ hearts, thereby opening them up the possibility of engaging their minds.

This positionality requires a paradigm shift. As my juniors and seniors enter my class, I comprehend they are survivors of their racialized schooling experience. Therefore, I work to develop and refine their literacy skills and critical thinking skills. Additionally, as a former coach, I coach up (confianza): I build success through skill development and “confianza” through mastery of the skills. I become their biggest cheerleader because I am cognizant many barrio youth have never been praised and acknowledged. At the same time, giving doses of tough love, through an unconditional love filter, is needed on occasion. I teach American History, so my class is heavy on reading, writing, critical dialogue (speaking), and the development of a student’s critical consciousness.

In describing the liberatory act of a dialogical method, Freire (1970) asserts:

‘Dialogue cannot exist, however, in the absence of a profound love for the world and for people.The naming of the world, which is an act of creation and re-creation, is not possible if it is not infused with love. Love is at the same time the foundation of dialogue and dialogue itself … Because love is an act of courage, not of fear, love is commitment to others. No matter where the oppressed are found, the act of love is commitment to their cause—the cause of liberation. And this commitment, because it is loving, is dialogical.’”

– José Alberto González, “A Counter Narrative: A Pedagogy of Love Through Critical Race Theory,” in Asset Pedagogies in Latino Youth Identity and Achievement (ed. Francesca A. López)